Michigan

Tigers' Johnny Damon: No hard feelings toward Yankees for not re-signing him

AP File PhotoJohnny Damon has his average up to .294 and is on a 15-game hitting streak in his first season with Detroit.CLEVELAND -- Left fielder Johnny Damon has gone from New York Yankees pinstripes to Detroit Tigers' stripes, and will face his teammates of the past four years in a regular season game for the first time tonight.

"You can't look back in this game," Damon said Sunday. "It would be different if they were the only team I played for. But they were the fourth team, and I'm with my fifth team."

New York general manager Brian Cashman decided Damon no longer was worth a multi-year deal or anything near the $13 million he'd earned in each of his seasons with the Yankees, and allowed him to sail off into free agent waters. Damon got a one-year deal for $8 million from Detroit.

But there are no hard feelings. Damon and Cashman met behind batting cages during spring training and shook hands while exchanging pleasantries. It was business, and now Damon's business is with Detroit.

And business has been good despite going 1-for-14 on last week's road trip. Damon is hitting .294 and ranks in the American League's top 10 with 10 doubles and 24 runs. He has had a 15-game hitting streak, a walkoff home run and is fourth on the club with 14 RBIs.

Damon is trying to get the Tigers back to the World Series, where he batted .364 last year and helped lead the Yankees to a championship. He has the 119-diamond championship ring to prove it.

"They are obviously the world champions and playing as good a baseball as anyone," Damon said. "So, for us, it's a huge measuring stick. I had four great years there, and you can never take away the championships.

"I'm glad I'm here and able to see Austin (Jackson) play and improve. And I knew the fans were going to be great here."

After the Yankees comes a home series against the Boston Red Sox, for whom Damon played from 2002 to 2005. Damon's Red Sox won a World Series in 2004. The Yankees and Red Sox, bitter rivals, played over the weekend, and Sunday night's game was on ESPN. What is it like to watch them play and not be in uniform?

"It's a lot more peaceful watching them," Damon said. "I see the guys battling it out, and all the stress."